The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-01-04
A Christmas Hunt Reveals the
Dead Body of an Unknown
Man.
Tt Had Laid for Months Where
Found Undisturbed by
Any.
A Strange and Singular Mystery
Which May Never Be SOly-
ed.

LaWry anu MS teH-yedr-Ol0 son,
Frank, started out for rabbit hunt a
couple of miles south of Galley station
on the narrow gauge road. In an old
field some three quarters of mile
from the railroad is clump of hazel
brush. When this was reached, Mr..
Lawry told his son to 60 into the
brush and'start out the rabbits, while
he remained outside to shoot them.
Frank obeyed, but when he reached
the center of the thicket he started
back with a cry of horror, and rush
ing to his father, said there was dead
man in the brush. His father was
incredulousand chided him for bis fears
bat entered The thicket with him
TO investigate. On reaching the spot
designated by the boy Mr. Lawry
saw that which almost froze the blood
in his veins, lying prone on its back
half naked and with sunken eyes and
open mouth about which the skin had
shrivelled and blackened revealing
the grinning teeth, lay the form of
what had once evidently been a man,
but who had for months been dead
Mr.. Lawry at once returned home
and taking horse notified constable
White. By that time it was well on
towards night, but the constable and
several other parties Immediately
visited the scene, and placing a senti-
mel over the remains returned home
and yesterday notified coroner Over
street who went to the scene taking
with him Messrs. McLaughlins' under
1aker, after viewing the remains,
which were so badly deeomposed as to
be beyond recognition it was deemed
best to bring them at once to the city
which was done A jury was imme-
diately summoned and a formal In
quest held, but as there was neither
evidence or clue to the identity of the
deceased or how he came to be where
he was found dead, a verdict was
returned that the unknown deceased
came to his death in a manner and by
means unknown to the jury. Yester-
day evening the last evidence of the
fact that such human had lived, so
far as this community is concerned,
was laid quietly to rest in the ceme-
! terry.
THE DEAD MAN.
From what could be ascertained by
the closest examination, the deceased
was apparently an old man. not under
so years of age, with red hair turning
gray. He was dressed in coarse and
worn garments. consisting of an old
SLOUGH hat, blue wooden shirt, check
pants, and vest with larger check
he had no coat, and wore on his feet a
coarse pair of brogaR shoes. His ap-
pearance indicated a tramp or possibly
"a railroad workman. The body was
too much decomposed to discover any
signs of violence, if any had existed,
sand their was neither paper nor men,
orandum to give any clue to his iden-
tity. An old cotton handkerchief,
partly filled with hazel nuts, indicated
that about the last living act of the
deceased had been to gather and eat
some of the NUT, number of the
shells of which lay near him.
From this it is supposed he
must have met his death some
time during the nuttiDg season. His
shoes were tied together with strips
torn from linen towel and several
rents in his pants had been patched
up with shreds from the same source.
Last fall a number of wood choppers
were at work In this vicinity, but
whether he was one of them is un-
known, as ali of them have since left
and as they were strangers, and like
must woodmen of a migratory nature,
..pone of them can be found.
LATER.
sis there any new developments in
regard to the Galley stiff yet % in
quired a BAzeo scribe of Coroner
Overstreet yesterday. Nothing al
all" said the genial doctor, "calcula.
ted to threw any light upon the SUBJ
ject. | have just received a commun.
.ication from St. Louis, however. from
a heart broken mother, who believes
it may be her son, in which she ask;
me to send her description of the
man. Here it is" he continued
handing the scribe a letter which had
been lying on his desk, and which
read as follows:
ST. LOUIS, DEC. q, 1886
10 The Coroner of SedaiiG, No.:
DEAR SIR-Will you be 80 kind as tc
give me description OF the man found
dead in thicket last Saturday, as / feal
something has happened to my son. HI
has been missing since last February, and
Ihave been trying to find him for the las
three months. By $50 doing you viii
ooofa~ q favar On O hoarf-hrnkon ynofhor